Only on the South Side

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up:

• An off-duty police officer was sitting on his porch with his wife on South Leavett and West 90th when they saw a 30-year-old man break into a car. When the officer attempted to make an arrest, a short scuffle happened.

  The man allegedly threatened the officer, saying, ''I know where you live now and I'll come back and kill you.'' The suspect also threatened to injure the officer's wife.

  The suspect managed to break free and began running toward nearby woods, shedding clothing in the meantime. A police sergeant spotted the suspect at South Western and West 90th, and the man was apprehended.

  The suspect is facing charges of burglary and aggravated assault to a peace officer, the Morgan Park district desk sergeant said.

  As police were making the arrest at 1:13 a.m., a drunken motorist driving a 2004 Ford Escape plowed into a police car at the scene. The force of the impact caused that car to hit another squad car head-on, injuring a police sergeant.

  Among his charges, Paul Daniels, 26, of South Holland, was cited with two counts of driving under the influence. As police responded to that crash, a male driver told police his male passenger had been shot at South Western Avenue and West 79th Street.

That was truly a bad set of coincidence. Best wishes to the injured sergeant.